Book Review Instructions

In order to successfully complete BIBL 425, you must write a book review of Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism edited by Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, and Jason Maston.

You must follow the guidelines for the book review that are detailed below and in the grading rubric. The Book Review must consist of 750–1,000 words, be double-spaced, and typed in Times New Roman 12-point font. Maintain 1-inch margins on all sides of each page. In addition to the required word count for content, the Book Review must include a title page. The Book Review must conform to current Turabian format.

The review must provide an overview of the book’s major content, an evaluation of the content, and an assessment of the book’s importance. More specifically, the book review must include 4 major components: (1) the complete bibliographical entry; (2) the editors’ information such as education, position, and scholarship; (3) a concise summary or synthesis of the major theme of the book; and (4) an honest and courteous evaluation of the book. This exercise will require some research and diligent effort on your part.

The following questions may serve as a checklist to guide you through the process of reviewing the book:

1. What is the editors’ thesis? How is the thesis developed throughout the book?
2. Where are the editors coming from? What are their academic backgrounds? Can you detect their assumption, biases, or presuppositions?
3. Who is the intended reader?
4. Have the editors fulfilled their stated or implied purposes? How well have their objectives been met?
5. How does this book compare to similar works in the same field?
6. What is your assessment of this book? Does it benefit the particular field of study?

If you follow the reading schedule per the Course Schedule, you will finish reading the book during Module/Week 6.